Awaiting the Dawn
by Ukaisha
Summary: Kouji's frustration with school is at a dangerous height when he discovers a piece of paper folded into his text book, and it reveals to be the remains of a private note-passing conversation. What will it unravel for Kouji? Takouji Super Drabble.


Disclaimer: The author takes absolutely no stake or claim on any characters mentioned.

A/N: Another Super-Drabble since I didn't feel like working on my other stories at the time. 2,000 words. It's simple, effective; something that made me intolerably happy to write. Very pleased with this.

Keep in mind that Super-Drabbles are one-shots, and they aren't to be continued. I noticed some people seemed to think there was more to come, and I'm not giving your hopes up.  
Thank you for reading; I promise updates soon.

Fun-fact: This author note, including Disclaimer, contains exactly 100 words according to Microsoft Word.

Awaiting the Dawn

* * *

Kouji trudged into the classroom with a heavy sigh. It's not that he didn't like AP Literature; it was actually one of his favorite subjects. It's just that he was exhausted after a day of screaming, ignorant, melodramatic teenagers surrounding him in great numbers, and he was tired of stupid, useless work that served no purpose other than keeping him occupied for seven hours a day. By his last period, he was completely fed up with essentially his entire school and also life itself. One hour, just one more hour of this hell, and he'd finally be able to go home.

He fell into his desk and sighed again, quieter. A louder sigh or even a scream for that matter would not have been acknowledged; Kouji could barely hear himself think in all the ruckus of a class not yet called to order. He sat back and closed his eyes, trying to think of soothing music, calming, natural sounds, and also the night ahead. He was going to see a movie with Takuya, which always provided plenty of amusement if just for the interesting assessment of the movie that followed, and then follow him home to play Fable 2.  
Kouji didn't really have much to look forward to at all after school, so starting the weekend spending a few hours with Takuya seemed like passing on to Heaven after suffering a week of Purgatory.

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of the end. The AP Literature teacher, usually referred to as Hasegawa, without an honorific, did not immediately call class to order. He considered his own work to be more important than immediately silencing obnoxious screaming children as soon as the bell commanded, and so he allowed them to go on for another intolerable minute and a half while Kouji continued inwardly meditating calmly. He had no doubt he was doing something ridiculously trivial, like finishing a crossword puzzle from the newspaper or finishing a chapter from a book, though he didn't bother to check.

Eventually, however, Hasegawa stood up, very suddenly, and demanded silence. Silence was immediately given. Kouji hated that Hasegawa was a lax teacher, but he appreciated how he could simply make an entire room shut up, within three seconds flat. Heaven knew how he did it; the majority of his students were taller than Hasegawa was, yet they obeyed him almost instantly.  
"If all of you barbarians are ready to tackle your last subject of the day," he began, seemingly glaring personally at each and every one of his students, "you may feel free to take out your text books, and turn to page 674, where we'll pick up reading Enchi's _The Waiting Years. _I suggest paying attention just in case you need to answer a few questions later, and yes, I'm foreshadowing."

The majority of the students immediately retrieved their textbooks and opened to page 674, including Kouji. Truthfully, he wasn't all that interested in this particular story. Obnoxious wives and their pity-me-for-being-a-woman tales seemed too dreary and pointless to him. He was looking forward to _Requiem_, but he wasn't sure if it was still on the curriculum.  
Naturally, there were three or so students who had not bothered to take out their text books, or even attempted to remember the page number. For whatever reason, one of these students chose to bother Kouji to correct his insolence.  
"Hey man, what page number was it?"  
Kouji, who did not feel like talking, merely thrust his book at his neighbor, who had not even finished taking out his own textbook. It was easier to surrender the book already on the correct page rather than talk to him.  
Flustered, the boy returned his unopened book to Kouji, who sighed when he received it.  
"Uh…thanks." Kouji nodded shortly.

Ugh. Whoever had this book last was extremely disrespectful to it. The pages were torn and the cover had dirty words on it written in marker. Kouji was scowling in disdain when he opened the book, and to his surprise, it opened to the exact page he meant to open it to. Then, he realized that this had happened because of a piece of paper lodged inside the book.  
It was folded up very carefully, very deliberately. There were words on it, and Kouji could already see it had been the subject of note passing, gone unnoticed by Hasegawa.

Kouji glanced up at his teacher, who had already moved on to interpreting the first few paragraphs before they were read. All students either had their noses in their books, or their palms, trying to sleep.  
He plucked the paper from the book, carefully, and then quietly unfolded it, smoothing it out and laying it flat. To his further amazement, and to a certain extent of irony, he immediately recognized his brother's handwriting. Kouichi had a neat, delicate hand that always seemed extra thin, as though he'd written it with a needle. The correspondent's hand was big and bulky; almost chicken scratch, nearly illegible. Kouji was positive he'd seen it somewhere before; he just couldn't figure out where.  
Kouji again looked up at his teacher, who had already begun to read.  
He looked down at the note again, and began to read himself.

**Hey ichi, wats up?**

_Nothing, obviously, lol. we only just got to class._

**oh. well its been a whole 5 mins since i last talked 2 u. i thot something mightve happnd.**

_Not yet im afraid :3 nothin probly will in this class._

**yea rite? i will b so happy tonite. just me and my fable 2.**

what about my bro?

**o, i alredy talked 2 him.**

_whatd you say?_

**nothing haha.**

_lol wtf!! tell me. you know I like details!_

**no, lol :D**

_wtf! seriously what did u2 say?_

**oh just lyk how hes been lyk worying about me and stuff when hes always lyk "o my life sucks waah."**

_lol, I know what you mean ,i get the brunt of it ;) i feel bad becuz hes always sayin serious stuff like he'd be better off dead u know?_

**yea well thats wat ive been telling you HELLO! lol Geod forbid he lyk actully means it tho u no?**

_lmao, "Geod Forbid?!" God forbid dumbass! but yea hes killing me with his like "I want to be alone all the time" and if he keeps going like this itll suck for me .i hope he'll be okay this weekend while im in Odaiba._

**ROFL sorry. xD wow i suk. and sure hell be at my place playing halo and fable 2. so hell b great he can abait his angr with that.**

_just stop using big words be4 you kill urself xD _

**lol k. plus im glad ur bein gone so I can giv him my pres.**

_presant u mean? our birthday was last week, ur a little late xD_

**yea i no, but i need 2 give it 2 him.**

_well what is it?_

**um, the 1 i was gunna give was a can of pepsi and a box of "hello pandas" **

_nice gift, even i could have afforded that. should done that instead of getting him anotehr hardcover book because those things are WAY too freakin expensive!!_

**yea but that was just the 1. it was like a gag i was also going to give him lyk u know, take him to see a movie or somethin becuz he lykes critisizing them and then maybe dinner or somethin and i had somethin else i wont tell you about.**

_well now you've done it!! what was it?! you have to tell me! what was the other thing?!_

**i cant say because i dont want anyone to no its something private and special. (not sex u pervert lol)**

_lmao, darn D: Tell me!_

**lol no**

_lol yes._

**yull tell him x.X**

_no i wont!! ill be in odaiba remember?_

**its a stupid neckliss ok? but no more details!**

_you bastard guy D:!! tell me NOW plz! MOAR._

**nooooo. yull just tell him -.- im takin a nap nite.**

_no, lol, i wont tell him. i might acidentally tell Junpei when im visiting him and maybe he'll accidentally tell Izumi who may accidentaly get it back to Takuya though lol._

_J/K ok?_

**napping now, kthx…**

_WAKE UP._

**ok look its a gold chain and it has a locket and its got a sun engraved in the locket and in the locket is a pic of me and him hugging ok? i thot id tell him that u know after the movie and we got back to my place.**

_thats so sweet and romatic x333_

**do u think hed let me kiss him?**

_not a chance in hot, flaming hell._

**:( do u think hell hate me…?**

_nah, he'll probely be like WTF?! but he wont be mad._

**ok. do u think hell think its corny? i mean I no its dumb and lyk not expencive or watever but i dont have alot of money.**

_lol. its fine, Takuya. OK, now you can sleep…_

_  
_"What does that mean, Minamoto-kun?" Kouji looked up, mouth agape, at a loss for words, blinking dumbly at Hasegawa.  
"…Wha…what?"  
"The quote. Explain the quote I just read to you."  
"Oh…I'm sorry, Sensei. I wasn't, uh, I wasn't paying attention." Kouji felt his whole face go burning hot, and not just from the embarrassment of knowing that every single eye in the room was on him.  
"I see. Would you like me to repeat it?"  
"Uh, sure. I mean, yes sir."  
"_Inside the self that achieved expression neither in actions nor in words, that seemed so ineffectual, the feelings that could find no relief lay dark, cold, and silent, like snow settled by night._ These words are spoken by Suga to Tomo in _The Waiting Years_. What do they mean? There's no true right or wrong answer," he added thoughtfully afterwards.

Kouji finally thought to close his mouth. He took short, quick breaths to calm down. He thought. He usually didn't like deciphering quotes, but these just pierced right into his mind, so clear; so obvious. He quietly said, to where Hasegawa had to lean in to hear:  
"It sounds like Suga is metaphorically explaining her most inner feelings, feelings she's repressed for a long time. While she can say she has become a person through no fault of her own, her own personal feelings were never actually brought to light, and she feels that they lie inside her, unawake and dead; untouched, pure. She means that actions and words are nothing compared to feelings, which she feels that up until now, she has had none."  
"Interesting," Hasegawa mused. "What do you suppose will happen next, now that Suga realizes she does have feelings?"  
"Well, feelings are a funny thing. You can either repress them entirely, or not contain them at all. My guess is if Suga's feelings are awoken and they do finally meet the coming dawn, she will actually feel alive and human for the first time in her life. It's her personal 'coming of age' moment in the story."  
"Fascinating way to think of it. I'd remember that if I were you, class, that quote might be used on the test; not that I'm foreshadowing or anything…"

Kouji swallowed hard, and his wide eyes glazed over the note again. His heartbeat was steady, almost unsure if it should go on beating. These feelings were raw, unknown; fresh and pure like the virgin snow on top of the highest mountain peak, where no sane soul has ever thought to dwell.  
It didn't mean anything. Not yet. He didn't think he could handle the unraveling of his innermost feelings in this horrible environment. He couldn't break apart and show weakness; not here, at least.  
He'd wait until tonight, when he was alone with Takuya.  
He pocketed the note and put his hands on top of his desk, staring determinedly into a blank point, thinking, growing calmer by humming softly to himself, waiting for dawn.


End file.
